I'm a nerd. A professional nerd. Not a programmer, not a networking guru, but a nerd with a solid understanding of most computer shit. I've built airplanes, military airplane systems, guitar amps, worked with software devs to make incredible software... I'm not trying to do this on a tight budget, or hack goofy stuff together. Yet Homeseer conquers me.
My setup: -HS4Pro latest version, on old windows 7 pro laptop -Znet interface on Ethernet connected to -Netgear GS316EP switch -5xWX300 Switches/dimmers -3xZooz Zen34 battery powered switches -2xZooz Zen17 Universal Relays -3xTuya WIFI plugs can
It'll work fine for a month or two, then stuff just stops working, and I have to spend literally an entire day dealing with it. It's almost always the physical hardware. I lost three WX300 switches in one month, one after the other. They would die, then would lose programming, and wouldn't come back after power loss. I called Tyler at HS customer service, who was awesome, and he'd remote in, do his diagnosis, and say "dude, I helped develop zwave standards, I've done this for ten years... And I've never seen anything like this- I have no idea". So I returned those switches, or tried to, because it took HS 3 MONTHS to make the return process happen. (Admittedly I didn't push super hard, but still)
The WX300 would diagnose as good, they'd communicate back and forth, but the load could not be controlled remotely. The whole system was convinced that it worked correctly, but the physical lights wouldn't turn on and off. So I replaced the switches in June. Six months later, same shit.
But also, the HS4Pro software is GARBAGE. I am not an Apple fanboy- I don't need restricted, proprietary software that only works in one way, but damn, this software is difficult to navigate. What's the difference between settings, advanced functions, and device diagnostics? No clue, because the Homeseer documentation is GARBAGE. Ohhh, I didn't click on the root device, I clicked on the thirty-seventh level function, which displays the same exact menus, but none of them actually load. Cool. Should have known that. /s
"Search the forums"... Riiight. When I do that I find a bunch of people like me, who ask a question, and get zero response beyond "hurrr, what software version are you using?" And then they sell their 50+ devices because it's so ridiculously unreliable and difficult.
Their YouTube videos are also equally as useless as anything other than marketing. I really couldn't imagine documenting a system like this so poorly.
I appreciate u/homeseermark for everything he does, and Tyler too, but it's so stupid. It really doesn't have to be this difficult, and shouldn't.
I feel like Homeseer will fail, and fall into obscurity if something drastic isn't done to correct this. It's such a shame, because daaang, the possibilities are amazing, but fall flat.
Rant over.
I'd love to see your review of your HomeAssistant experience.
But, I know I will never see it because it will be down voted to the depths of hell on this sub.
I'm still trying to figure out if the HA schilling in this sub is organic, based on single experience, Reddit echo chamber, price(free), or Nabu Casa funded "click" farming. Something is up and it's not a matter of vast superiority.
Agreed. I would categorize myself as a similar profile to the OP: a nerd that has set up very complicated systems, formerly worked in IT as a desktop support and network administrator, and runs systems with multiple OSes in my home, but NOT a programmer and Home Assistant is one of the most difficult pieces of software I ever tried to use. The user interface is anything but easy. There is no useful documentation despite everyone claiming there is. The UI is pretty but the UX is garbage.
I'm running Hubitat and it works great. I have setup complicated automations with no issues whatsoever. Every few months I try to dabble with Home Assistant with the goal of moving over because everyone here preaches about it's greatness, but every time I get frustrated, give up, and stick with Hubitat.
I switched to Hubitat after starting with and using Home Assistant for years.
The Hubitat dashboard is a bit of a basket case. Having to mess with widget spacing and scaling by hand, and not having it adapt to the size of a device display is really silly. The stability is the difference however. I have not had to remove and re-add a device since switching. My devices and automations have worked flawlessly, and the management UI is laid out better than Home Assistant. My impression is that Hubitat focuses the vast majority of their efforts on ensuring ZigBee and ZWave reliability. This very much improves spouse acceptance.